From 2003-2007 Michael Young had a string of seasons with at least 200 hits which was broken last season when he had “only” 183. It seems like he came to spring training determined to start a new streak. He has played in 126 games this season for the Rangers and he is 167 for 513 (.326 avg, .908 OPS) with 75 runs scored, 22 homers, 66 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. If he stays healthy the rest of the season he should set career highs in homers and RBIs while starting a new streak of seasons with 200+ hits. The Rangers also need Young to stay healthy if they are going to make a serious run at the Red Sox for the American League Wild Card.

The Rangers have signed 33-year old righty swinging IF/OF Ryan Freel to a minor league deal. Freel has played in 41 games this season for the Cubs, Royals and Orioles this season in which he is 17 for 88 (.193 avg, .506 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 594 games in his major league career and he is 532 for 1,983 (.268 avg, .723 OPS) with 306 runs scored, 22 homers, 122 RBIs and 143 stolen bases. This was a good pickup for the Rangers as Freel could help them down the stretch off the bench as they make a playoff push.

UPDATE: The Rangers have released Freel. Freel played in only 2 games in AAA-ball for the Rangers and he was 2 for 6 (.333 avg) with 1 RBI.

The Rangers have designated 31-year old righty reliever Jason Jennings for assignment. Jennings pitched in 44 games (0 starts) for the Rangers this season and he was 2-4 with 1 save, a 4.13 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. In two years with the Rangers, Jennings pitched in 50 games (6 starts) in which he was 2-9 with 1 save, a 5.50 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. This shouldn’t hurt the Rangers who are loaded in the bullpen.

The Rangers have acquired 37-year old righty swinging catcher Ivan Rodriguez from the Astros for 22-year old switch hitting 2B Jose Vallejo and 22-year old righty reliever Matt Nevarez. Rodriguez has played in 93 games for the Astros this season and he is 82 for 327 (.251 avg, .662 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 8 homers and 34 RBIs. He has now played in 2,360 games in his major league career and he is 2,687 for 8,972 (.299 avg, .809 OPS) with 1,294 runs scored, 303 homers, 1,251 RBIs and 124 stolen bases. Coming back to Texas could reinvigorate Ivan Rodriguez as he is the All-Time Leader in Rangers’ history in hits. He has played in 1,479 games for the Rangers in which he is 1,723 for 5,656 (.305 avg, .831 OPS) with 852 runs scored, 215 homers, 829 RBIs and 80 stolen bases. The Rangers did give up a couple of solid prospects to get I-Rod. Jose Vallejo was the #18 rated prospect in the Rangers’ system coming into this season according to Baseball America. Vallejo has played in 104 games in AA-AAA ball this season and he is 96 for 392 (.245 avg, .606 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 2 homers, 38 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Matt Nevarez has really pitched well in A-ball this season. He has pitched in 34 games (0 starts) in A-ball this season and he is 1-4 with 9 saves, a 2.83 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He has only allowed 22 hits in 35 innings this season while whiffing 50 batters showing what kind of stuff he has. This was still a solid move for the Rangers as Ivan Rodriguez has been a money player in the post season the last few seasons.

The Rangers have designated 31-year old righty starting pitcher Vicente Padilla for assignment. Padilla started 18 games this season for the Rangers and he was 8-6 with a 4.92 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. In four years with the Rangers, Padilla started 103 games in which he was 43-34 with a 4.90 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. This was not a smart move for a team in the Wild Card hunt in the American League.

UPDATE: Vicente Padilla has now been released by the Rangers. Look for him to hook on with another team soon as the Rangers will be on the hook for the rest of his contract minus the pro-rated minimum salary.

The Rangers have recalled 31-year old righty swinging infielder Esteban German from AAA. German has played in 101 games in AAA-ball this season and he was 120 for 373 (.322 avg, .839 OPS) with 62 runs scored, 4 homers, 58 RBIs and 33 stolen bases. German has also played in 366 games in his major league career in which he is 262 for 946 (.277 avg) with 141 runs scored, 7 homers, 102 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. The Rangers hope German hits like he did in the minors as they need some punch with Ian Kinsler out of action.

The Rangers have designated 25-year old righty reliever John Bannister for assignment. Bannister pitched in 38 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA ball this season and he was 3-3 with 1 save, a 5.96 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. The Rangers won’t miss Bannister at all.

23-year old lefty swinging 1B/3B Chris Davis was having huge problems in the majors before being sent to AAA. He played in 77 games for the Rangers this season and he was 52 for 258 (.202 avg, .671 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 15 homers and 33 RBIs. His biggest problem with the Rangers was that he whiffed 114 times. Davis has improved in the minors and he should get another chance with the Rangers in the near future. Davis has played in 23 games in AAA-ball so far and he is 30 for 94 (.319 avg, .930 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 4 homers and 20 RBIs. Davis has only whiffed 20 times since he was sent to the minors so that shows improvement in pitch selection.

23-year old righty starting pitcher Tommy Hunter is off to a impressive start this season for the Rangers. Hunter has started 7 games for the Rangers so far this season and he is 3-2 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He was the Rangers’ #17 prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. The Rangers need him to keep up the good work if they are going to make a true run at the Wild Card in the American League.